Cheesy Shanghai Mooncakes 2011

This is my last batch of mooncakes of the month :)

Thanks to Sonia for this wonderful recipe, its so yummy! :)

The skin reminded me of pineapple tart skin - soft melt in the mouth kind

So perfect with the white lotus paste and salted egg yolk filling

One thing I didn't do was to shape them like eggs - too lazy to do it, so I just shaped them like balls :P

Agree with her, I too highly recommend this recipe! :)

I'm submitting my this mooncakes to Aspiring Bakers #11 Mid-Autumn Treats hosted by HHB of  Happy Home Baking

Traditional Baked Mooncakes 2011

My third mooncakes and my first baked ones, I actually made this last Friday :)
Still need to improve - a lot, especially in how I did the eggwash - I guess I must have brushed too much, it's uneven and looked a little burnt here and there :P

After came out of the oven, I really thought I have failed, they were as hard as rocks! After a few hours, I was too curious to know how it tasted I cut one of them - and have decided to name them "mooncookies" since it's still as hard

Was satisfied with the taste but disappointed with the texture - with no clue what's the cause of it, until two days later it miraculously turned so soft and yummy - yes, I made it! *biggest grin*
It's indeed true as indicated in the recipe that it takes two to three days before it's ready for consumption - now I know why :)

I used half salted egg yolk in the filling, I guess it's too small as shown in the pic below :)

Recipe is from HERE but I replaced the plain flour to Hongkong flour instead

Filling is still white lotus paste with salted egg yolk centre

My mum likes this so much she requested me to bake more - now still in search for the lotus paste - have searched in one of Poon Huat's branch but they have no stock, now I have to try to search elsewhere :P

I'm submitting my this mooncakes to Aspiring Bakers #11 Mid-Autumn Treats hosted by HHB of  Happy Home Baking

Peppermint Snowskin With Chocolate Baileys Mint Filling Mooncakes 2011

My 2nd mooncakes :)

This is something that can tickle my determination of being strict about my diet :P
But I did have problem in handling the filling, cos after mixing the white lotus paste with the melted chocolate - before the Baileys, the dough was already soft
After Baileys was added, it's way too soft to shape I had to store them in the freezer for half a day
Fortunately after that it's not too bad proceed *phew
After doing all the shaping and moulding, they have to be kept in the fridge
In the room temperature, the filling will start to soften in no time
But aside from all that, this is a hit in the house :)

You see what I mean about the soft filling...the pic below was around 10minutes after I took out from the fridge, soft and a little difficult to cut

The recipe for the skin is from HERE with additional of 1 1/2 tsp of peppermint essence

As for the filling, I just mixed my ready to use white lotus paste (300g) with melted chocolate mint (I used Andes brand (60g) with Cadbury chocolate milk (30g)), 1 tsp of cocoa powder, 1 tbsp peppermint essence and 5 tbsp Baileys mint (lesser than this and you won't be able to taste the Baileys)

This is really worth trying - those who adore chocolate peppermint combo - like me :)

So chocolatey and so minty hehe...

I'm submitting my this mooncakes to Aspiring Bakers #11 Mid-Autumn Treats hosted by HHB of  Happy Home Baking



Bake Along #10 - Chocolate Caramel Banana Upside Down Cake

I hope a recipe from other bloggers is accepted since I'd really love to join the fun in Free & Easy Bake Along #10 : "Go Banana" when I saw this recipe from Joyce's site  
I was literally drooling when I saw the pics :P

Joyce, you're absolutely right, the cake is simply divine!

So soft, moist and chocolatey cake combined with the gooey caramel topped with oh so sweet bananas - hhhmmmm....heaven!

It's a very difficult determination to stop at just one or two slices! :)

Definitely a keeper!

Do hop over to Joyce, Lena and Zoe's sites to find out what they have done with bananas this time :) 

Strawberry Cheese Streusel Pizza

This is a must try for those who love pizza and like to try something with a twist
Perfect with a cup of hot tea!

Recipe is from Joyce's site

Soft & juicy in every bite

Yummy and crisp edges

Sweet, tangy an salty all in one - yum! Believe me, this is a must must try! :)

I've submitted this pizza for September's LBT challenge which the theme is happened to be pizza :)

Btw, this what I did with the other remaining pizza dough - mini ham and cheese pizza - yummy yummy!

Fried Tofu In Sweet Soya Sauce

This dish is originally from Central Java, Indonesia - particularly in a small city called Kudus - where my mum was born :)

What you need:

4 blocks of traditional tofu, cut into 4 sections and each section to cut into 2 parts

cabbage - thinly sliced

bean sprouts - blanched

fried shallots

oil to deep fry the tofu

For the sauce:

ground peanuts

sweet soya sauce

sugar

2 cloves of garlic - crushed

a little water

1 bird's eye chilli - crushed

Deep fry the tofu til golden brown - set aside

To make the sauce: mix all ingredients - adjust taste

Arrange fried tofu on a serving plate

Arrange cabbage, bean sprouts and pour the sauce, sprinkle with fried shallots

Serve

Chocolate Snowskin With Custard Filling Mooncakes 2011

Finally I managed to set aside some free time to give my hands a second try (first time was yars ago which was far from successful) on making snowskin mooncakes This time I was satisfied, both with the texture as well as the taste - for the skin as well as the filling - yummy yummy yummy..... yippee!! :)
One thing is I have no idea how to get rid of the flour on the surface and the sides of the mooncakes - it should have looked much prettier without it - I guess I have dusted the mould with too much flour and it looked more obvious on dark color snowskin
Also, I could have clearer pattern on the surface if I pressed a little harder I guess :)

I did the shaping together with my mum - she mastered the techniques of wrapping the filling much faster than me - she made a perfect one on her first try, while I could only do so after third attempt hihi....

Recipe for the chocolate snowskin is from HERE - delicious and so chocolatey... See, hers is so smooth with no trace of flour at all

 

What you need:

 

130ml water

70g castor sugar

50g melted dark chocolate 70%

10g cocoa powder

10g chocolate paste

20g mooncake shortening / Crisco

60g kou fen

 

Method:

1. Heat water and sugar in microwave for 30seconds. Add in cocoa powder and chocolate paste, mix well. Add in melted chocolate
2. Mix well shortening and kou fen. Add in shortening mixture into the chocolate mixture, knead and set aside for 30mins

 

And recipe for the custard filling is from HERE - yummy, not overly sweet - just nice!

The combination if chocolate and custard is just perfect :)

 

What you need:

(below is half recipe)

 

3 eggs

80g sugar

60g butter

25g plain flour

20g cornflour

25g milk powder

25g custard powder

35g condensed milk

75g evaporated milk (or coconut milk)

 

Method:

1. Mix well sugar with butter (by hand) and then add in eggs one at a time with mixer until well mixed
2. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well til smooth, still with mixer
3. Pour mixture into a non stick pot and cook til slightly thickens, pour into a mixing bowl and steam for 30mins til set (check and stir every 5mins)
4. After steaming, stir the mixture into a smooth paste and let it cool
5. Weigh the custard according to the mould used. Make into round balls and set aside

 

To assemble:

Divide dough into required weight and wrap with filling. Press into mould, and chill before serving

I used mould with 6cm diameter (my one and only mould - bought last minute at Poon Huat after couldn't find my another mould I bought years ago heee...)

This recipe makes 12 mooncakes

I use 1:2 ratio - for my mould it's 25g for skin and 50g for filling

 

I'm submitting my this very first batch of mooncakes to Aspiring Bakers #11 Mid-Autumn Treats hosted by HHB of  Happy Home Baking

Now, I feel like making more mooncakes :P

Fried Soft Bone Milk Fish & Stir Fry Chilli Potatoes With French Beans

These dishes are perfect to finish up a big portion of hot fluffy white rice, and you'll ask for the second serving! *grin* (not a great idea for those carbo-conscious hehe...)

Yummy fried soft bone milk fish - cooked in pressure cooker

What you need:

( for 2 large size milk fish)

7 cloves of garlic - peeled

3 pcs of 5cm yellow ginger - peeled

enough water

2 large size milk fish - cleaned and cut into 2parts each

salt, sugar and a few pcs of bay leaves

oil for deep frying

Blend garlic and ginger til smooth

Fill in pressure cooker with enough water to cover the 2 fish

Add in the blended garlic and ginger, salt, sugar and bay leaves

Press function meat/bean and wait til completed and function changed to keep warm, cancel and repeat the function meat/bean one more time (doing it twice will make the bones soft)

After completed, drain away the water, heat oil enough to deep fry the fish, deep fry til golden brown

Now, this is to accompany the fish

Stir Fry Chilli Potatoes With French Beans

What you need:

4 medium potatoes, diced

7 shallots, thinly sliced

french beans, cut

oil, salt, pepper, red chilli paste, a little palm sugar

Heat oil, fry diced potatoes til golden brown - set aside

Using the same pan with just a little oil, sautee shallots til fragrant, add in red chilli paste, add in french beans, water, salt, pepper, sugar - mix well amd simmer til french beans softened and water lessened, adjust taste

Add in fried potatoes - mix well

Happy Mid Autumn Festival & A Simple Breakfast

What a weird posting huh? People share mooncakes but mine was just a simple breakfast :P

I do want to wish all of u a happy mid autumn festival - enjoy your mooncakes feast :)
To be honest, I never involve in mid autumn festival, but I can never resist to indulge in mooncakes during this period of time
Just like last year, I bought the same mooncakes from East Ocean - yum!
Really eager to try out the baked custard moonies from Peninsula Hotel and Raffles Hotel, but decided to give them a miss, way out of budget :)

Quite reluctant when I found out about this month AB event - I did try to make snowskin mooncakes a few years back and failed miserably, but it doesn't mean I will not participate
Still pretty busy with domestic stuff, but I'll have some free time this week onwards, so unlike others who might stop making mooncakes, I will start making only this week haha...
Can you believe it, I only finished buying the ingredients yesterday :D

So, please wait for my mooncakes postings til the end of this month - keep my fingers and toes crossed
Wish me luck! :)

Well, now the breakfast...
I occassionally make this brekkie for a change

I believe I got this simple recipe from a food blogger many years back, way before I have my own blog, I can't remember her blog name

What you need:

(for 1 toast)

2 slices of white bread

1 cheese sliced

1 egg

butter, salt, sugar

Heat butter on a non stick pan, fry the egg with a dash of salt, put 1 slice of bread (I put beside the egg), put the egg on top of the bread and wait for a while (around 30seconds til the bottom part is browned)

Trasnfer on the serving plate

Add a little more butter on the pan, put the other slice of bread, put sliced cheese on top and sprinkle with sugar, wait for another 30seconds til the bottom part is also browned

Transfer to the serving plate by flipping it upside down (cheese facing down) and quickly put on top of the toast with egg

Gently press the toast and enjoy your breakfast immediately while it's still hot with a cup of hot brewed coffee

What a morning! :)

Indonesian Style Curry Puff

I had sudden great craving for this snack that time - can't find it in Singapore so I looked for the recipe high and low, found the most convincing one and decided to it a try

Not that Old Chang Kee curry puff is not my kind - oh I do love it to the bits, also their other stuff, but this time not this what I craved for hehe....
I was very very satisfied with the taste - so crunchy skin with tasty filling - can't remember when the last time I ate this snack - must be years ago!
What needs to be improved is the look (yeah, I always have this problem! hihi...), especially the plait, this batch is still far from neat :S

What you need:

(source: Sajian Sedap - makes 25)

For the skin:

250g plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp chicken stock powder

30g margarine

1 egg - lightly beaten

3 tbsp icy cold water

For the filling:

4 shallots - chopped

4 cloves of garlic - chopped

2 tsp chinese parsley - chopped

300g chicken breast - small diced

200g carrots - small diced

100g french beans - slice thinly

50g tanghoon (bean vermicelli) - blanched til soft, cut

1/2 tbsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp chicken stock powder

200ml water

4 eggs - hard boiled, cut into 8 sections

cooking oil to do the sauteeing and deep frying 

How to make the skin...

Mix plain flour and salt also chicken stock powder

Add in margarine, stir til forms lumps

Add in egg and water, stir well til form dough

Set aside for 30minutes

On lightly floured surface, flatten the dough and cut round shape (diameter approximately 10cm)

How to make the filling...

Sautee with oil shallots, garlic and parsley til fragrant

Add in chicken - stir til chicken well cooked

Add in carrots and french beans - stir til a little soft

Add in salt, pepper, sugar, chicken stock powder - mix well

Add in water, cook til water lessen and only a little bit left

Add in cut tanghoon - stir briefly and off heat

How to assemble...

Take 1 skin, add in filling and 1pc of sliced egg at the centre, cover it up by folding the skin into semi circle shape, brush the edges with water (I didn't use brush, only used my finger :P) and do the plaits around the edges

Heat oil on high heat and deep fry the puffs

Once the puffs are in the oil, off the heat for awhile - wait til the skin forms bumps then on the fire again, deep fry on medium heat til golden brown

Wew...I dunno is it cos of my high level of craving or it's just too yummy or I was just being greedy...I ate 3pcs in a row when it's still smoky hot fresh from the wok! :)

And The Winners Are...

Thank you for participating in my first year anniversary giveaway
My kids have just picked one each of the 2 winners

Abby picked : Janine from Not The Kitchen Sink
Ian picked : Angel from Cook.Bake.Love

Congratulations to both of you, I've sent you an email for details :)

Ondeh Ondeh / Klepon

This is a nonya delicacy which is very popular in Singapore
In Indonesia, we call this 'klepon'

What you need:

(source: NCC modified by me)

250g glutinuous rice flour

50g rice flour

150ml water

1 tsp pandan paste

2 tsp lime stone paste (optional)

100g palm sugar - chopped

1/4 tsp salt

1 litre water

grated coconut

Mix both flour  - set aside

Mix water, pandan paste and lime stone paste

Pour the water mixture onto the flour mixture, mix and knead til forming a clay like texture

Take 1 tbsp dough, flatten, put palm sugar filling at the centre, close and shape like a ball

Bring water to a boil, put the balls in it, let cook and float

Drain and immediately roll them on the grated coconut which has been mixed with salt til evenly covered

Note:

Do steam the grated coconut for approx 15mins prior to use - it'll stay fresh longer :)

Btw, just a reminder that the deadline for my 1st year blog anniversary giveaway will be on this coming Sunday 23.59 - please do participate

My apology but this time it'll be only for those reside in Singapore :)